Friday, July 28, 2006

Stinky Friday: Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis

This is a striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis. It was actually one of a pair that I photographed while on a fishing trip about a month ago. I took some pictures while driving along side this one, but they were all blurry so I had to get out and approach this one. You can't see in this picture but the tip of the tail was white. I was a little afraid of getting sprayed, but it gave me enough warning. I stopped approaching when it raised its tail and started stamping its feet. The last thing I wanted to see was its anal scent glands aimed at me.